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Best Comeback EVER.

What do you do when someone is rude to you for no reason? What about when someone constantly finds fault in you and criticizes EVERYTHING you do? Or what about that baby daddy of yours that you used to love but now he acts hateful and abrasive to you every time you have to interact with him?

It’s simple yet for some, could be the most difficult act to do. LOVE.

One of the Embrace Girls, Mia, posted a facebook status last week that she was in the Starbucks drive through line and she was placing her order into the speaker. The lady behind her apparently thought she was taking a few seconds too long to pick out her coffee. She started honking her horn right there in the line, trying to get her to hurry up. Mia quickly placed her order and drove around to pay for her drink.

Mia had several choices on how to handle this situation. She could ignore and disregard the lady as just another crazy lady in the Starbucks line and go about her day completely forgetting about it. She could respond with anger by doing or saying something that she might regret later to the irrational woman. She could have also gotten out of her car and preached a sermon to her about patience, kindness and self-control.

The simple simple response Mia came back with could very well have changed the woman’s life.

When Mia drove up to the window to pay, she paid for the lady’s coffee behind her, and then drove away.

Can you imagine how the lady behind her felt when she drove up to the window to get her (apparently) much needed and urgent coffee, only to find out that the lady she just honked at rudely, just bought her coffee? I’m sure her heart must have just sunk into her stomach. You know what I’m talking about. That sinking feeling that you said too much, you lost your temper or overreacted. It just eats at you and you wish you could go back and do it over again.

Any of the other reactions Mia could have had, would have had a completely different outcome I’m sure. If Mia would have ignored her, the lady would have just paid for her coffee and drove off in a huff, still annoyed by the inconvenience of an extra 60 seconds in the drive-thru line. If Mia would have responded with anger, it only would have fueled the lady’s anger even more and who knows how it could have ended (people are crazy ya’ll). If Mia would have gotten out to preach to her, the lady would have gotten defensive and felt like Mia was attacking her with a religious spirit and that Mia must think she is better than everyone else.

Instead, Mia responded with love. A random act of kindness to someone undeserving. Assuming the woman has a conscience, she must have drove away feeling slightly ashamed and disappointed in the way she had acted. Most likely, the next time she was in a hurry at a red light, or in a drive through, or at the bank she will remember that coffee. She will be a little more patient. I think we can learn a lot from Mia’s sweet spirit and intentional kindness … even when it’s hard.

Don’t ever stop praying for the person. Hurt people hurt people. You have no idea what kind of day they are having or what they are going through in their life at the time or in their past, to make them react the way they do. PRAY.

“Here’s another old saying that deserves a second look: ‘Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.’ Is that going to get us anywhere? Here’s what I propose: ‘Don’t hit back at all.’ If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.” {Matthew 5:38-42 MSG}

Is there anyone in your life that it just seems like there is constant animosity that will never end? Do you have any ideas to be intentional with your kindness toward the person?

*Disclaimer: It’s always good to create healthy boundaries from people that constantly trample your heart over and over. There is not a person in the world that deserves to be mistreated or abused physically or mentally. If you are abused physically, PLEASE leave and get help immediately! If you have someone in your family or someone that you are tied to for various reasons (like sharing a kid with the person), you can be nice but also have boundaries. Seek a professional counselor as well. I recommend the book BOUNDARIES by Dr. Henry Cloud for great advice on the issue.